Quote:
Originally Posted by blackthorn
I get confused with all this EU stuff ( but thats me all over) but havent the Torys said there will be a referendum after the Uk has renegotiated its membership but today, the EU has said there will no renegotiation for the UK. So are we being told fibs?
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Cameron intends to go to the EU and ask for a renegotiation. The European Commission may well wish to assert that this is not possible before 2019, but in reality it's not their call. If the member states want it (in particular, the biggest ones, and most particularly, Germany), then it will happen.
The exact nature of any "new deal" is another matter. Cameron has already said that whatever he is offered, he will recommend we accept with an "in" vote, which to me suggests he's not terribly serious about the whole thing.
The only way of getting maximum leverage over the EU is to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, announcing our intention to leave and compelling the other member states to negotiate our post-membership relationship with the EU. At that point we can remind them that if they want to keep selling their cars and sausages in the UK, they had better give us a favourable deal.